I love this book and think it would make a great addition to a classroom library or broad reading clubs about history. I found it to be very engaging and I have many young readers who will enjoy this multi-faceted look at an event they've all heard of, but know so little about. I'll be looking into the other books in this series as well.

Kate Messner shares the good, the bad, and the ugly focusing on the events leading up to, during, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor. Messner discusses this historical time period in an informative and approachable manner for the intended audience. Fascinating facts including both real pictures as well as other graphics throughout enhance the experience. This series makes history fun and come to life in an easy to read and understandable format. I highly recommend this series and I will definitely be talking this one up to both history fans and reluctant readers.

A retelling of historical events in a fun accessible way for children. This book makes a complicated tale like the history of Pearl Harbor interesting with it's comic illustrations and photographs.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Messner's series continues to present balanced accounts of historic events. She shares the ugly along with the better parts of US actions and responses. Pearl Harbor is entrenched in US history and rightly so. Readers will see the complexity involved in acts of war and decisions made in the aftermath of such events. She gears the conversation to middle grade level and includes text boxes to further explain and/or define some areas. The book is designed to make readers think and make connections to their own responses while studying the historic time.

As an 11th grade US History teacher, I am always looking for books to use in my classroom that makes learning history fun and exciting. When I first heard of the History Smashers series, I couldn’t wait to try them out. I was really excited that I got the Pearl Harbor one for review. It had the perfect amount of history and interesting tidbits to make kids interested. It also had some great illustrations. I even learned a few things! I can’t wait to get the first two books in the series to use in my classroom as well.

A very quick read for history loving youth using a blend of graphic and text storytelling to portray facts and first hand accounts of the event.

History Smashers is a great middle grade history series. This particular book thoroughly covers the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.. It is heavily focused on the facts about what happened. There are a few stories sprinkled throughout about people involved, but they are told in third person..

My favorite part was the information included about the key roles women played at Pearl Harbor and in the war efforts in general. Nurses saved the lives of hundreds of injured men, spending days triaging the wounded and months tending to patients long term healing. Other women filled jobs necessary to the functioning of war time America. Some learned to read radar, while others became pilots to test planes for manufacturers or to deliver supplies. Many became mechanics or code breakers. Women were invaluable.

Thankfully, no subject is avoided. The Japanese internment camps are given a fair discussion, in spite of it making the US look bad. I had never heard about the way the American military used Japanese American soldiers when they were finally allowed to join the war effort. “Years after the war, secret documents came out that show Japanese American soldiers were used in a sort of failed experiment that was meant to train dogs to attack Japanese people.” I’m thankful these ugly parts of our history aren’t neglected because we can learn from our mistakes and do better.

There are visuals, pictures, maps and timelines galore. Though the focus of the book is on the attack at Pearl Harbor, this book offers a great overview of WWII in general.

This would be a great resource for school libraries and classrooms. I received a digital arc copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kate Messner has done it again! This one, along with the others in the collection will be a great historical addition to our libraries. I love the different perspectives and how clearly laid out the information is about Pearl Harbor. The illustrations will help captivate young readers of all ages. Thanks for letting me preview this book on behalf of my school and #BookAllies.

I’m always impressed with Kate Messner’s writing! This informational text/series is indeed impressive. Covering Pearl Harbor’s events with acknowledgment of other perspectives and truths that are often missing from explanations is a key to how important this series is. It is full of interesting facts, photos, and understandings.

I cannot speak highly enough about this book. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC. Kate Messner is one of my favorite authors and she completely hits it out of the park with this entire series. This is the third book I have read from History Smashers. I will buy every book in the series for my classroom library. They are all important. This particular book focuses in on World War II and more specifically Japan and the United States. Like the two other books, History Smashers tells the untold story of what really happened during this time period. This book, and series, is a must for all classroom and public libraries. I will eagerly await books 4, 5, and 6.

Looking to learn the real truth about Pearl Harbor? Well, this book will SMASH some of the things you thought you knew by sharing some additional little known facts and details about the event. Written in such an easy to read, understand and comprehend style that you will be fascinated by some of the details included in this book. This is the first one of the History Smashers books that I have read but I am looking forward to reading more. Kate Messner never disappoints! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is a wonderful take on important events in history that does not talk down to its readers. The language is simple and believable. There is not any new information for a reader who is an historian but it does provide context for readers who are new to the love of history. Well done.

So can Kate Messner just write a US history textbook yet? This series is phenomenal. Informative but not dry text, eye-catching graphics, and engaging personal accounts. It is also one of the most inclusive histories I've ever encountered and doesn't shy away from the not so pleasant parts of American history.

The first two in the series have already leapt off the middle school library shelves, so I will 100% keep buying this wonderful series.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy

I love this idea for a new series. This is the first book in the series I have been able to preview and I love it. The formatting of this book is great... and makes the book flow quickly. I am not a huge fan of nonfiction but I did love this. It kept my attention and got me thinking about what I really knew. I will definitely be purchasing this series for my elementary library.

Kate Messner is just such a talented author. It seems as if everything she writes turns into gold. History Smashers is a new series that I see upper elementary/middle-level students flocking towards.

In this new series, Kate Messner is tackling the history we all thought we knew... and she is smashing it. Through her new nonfiction series, students will be able to relearn history the right way. Kate Messner adds a new definition to topics that everyone has had wrong for generations.

On top of having a smashing history lesson, young readers will love the hybrid of graphics and historical artifacts that are packed in History Smashers. These books have a fun graphic-novel like design with real-life photographs and maps included within the illustrated-makeup of the novels.

An excellent retelling of the events leading up to and following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The book makes this complicated history accessible to young readers who may not have been formally introduced to this in school (yet). I love the insets, comic illustrations, and photographs that enhance the text making it even more interesting for readers. Highly recommend this series for purchase and will be sharing with my 5th grade teachers as excellent curriculum supplements.

Historical books are not my favorite genre. I love this author though so I wanted to check it out. The book is informative and captivating. My son loves historical books and really enjoyed this. Great addition to the library.

History Smashers: Pearl Harbor features the wise writing and research of author Kate Messner, whose work I continue to add to my classroom library and recommended reading list. I loved the way words and pictures come together in this book to tell an engaging story, and how the book is grounded in fact. Though this early copy did not yet feature all of the images yet, what I was able to review was lovely.

This was an excellent nonfiction book that will keep students wanting to learn more about Pearl Harbor. This book is exactly what is needed in school libraries and classrooms today, books that are high interest and leave students wanting to learn more.

A great addition to this series. Enjoyed Kate Messner’s voice throughout this. Her take on history is interesting and highlights elements that aren’t traditionally told.